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Main Initiatives:

Initiative 1: Addressing Societal Challenges

As a prominent education and human services school we must confront important human challenges. Through our Centers and Departments, we marshal academic expertise from across the disciplinary spectrum to produce research and programming of contemporary social relevance. Using evidence-based practices SOLES is uniquely positioned to contribute to the dialogue surrounding the challenges of: educating our citizenry for the workplace of the 21st century, meeting the leadership and management needs of the nonprofit and public sectors, addressing the social-emotional needs of our community through clinical work, and addressing teaching and learning issues locally, nationally and globally.

1. Expand the Reach and Impact of SOLES’ Centers and Institutes

The Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research’s (INER) Caster Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research, the Center for Education Policy and Law (CEPAL), the Global Center, the Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA), the Leadership Institute (LI), and the Mobile Technology Learning Center (MTLC)

Initiative 2: Teaching Excellence

Innovation is in the DNA of SOLES. For example, we created the first Leadership Studies doctoral program in the nation; we were the first education school in the nation to require that all students have an international experience; and, we have students from all three departments conducting Action Research projects annually. SOLES and USD are nimble and thus we are able to be highly responsive to our community and stakeholders in offering new programs, courses and certificates.

Our ability to assume a more influential leadership role in the sectors we serve, is directly related to the quality of our teaching efforts, which have a direct impact on all of our programs and certificates – undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and continuing professional education.

1. Expand Experiential Learning and Reflective Practice

In particular, we offer experiential learning opportunities to students through our practicum and fieldwork courses, internships, the Leadership Institute, the Leadership Conversation Project, action research projects and our work with pedagogies such as PBL and lesson study. The substantial international research and study opportunities available to our students are also evidence of our leadership in experiential education. Going forward, we will:

Deepen commitment to extending and creating additional opportunities; further integrating them in all our academic programs.

Promote us, both internally and externally, as a laboratory for innovative pedagogies that highlight the connection between theory and practice and emphasize experiential learning.

2. Increase Teaching Excellence

All of our programs are well regarded, and our intent is to increase their stature. In recognition of the pivotal role that faculty will play in achieving that goal, we will:

Increase support and incentives for developing excellent courses and teaching materials.

Provide incentives and opportunities for faculty to innovate and incubate new ideas in their respective disciplines and professions.

3. Attract Top Faculty and Students

The quality of our pedagogic efforts depends on our ability to bring together innovative teachers and highly qualified students, both of whom have a wide range of experiences, languages and cultural perspectives. Therefore, achieving teaching excellence at SOLES requires that we:

Attract and retain a diverse faculty.

Attract and retain a diverse student body.

Prepare students to work in diverse communities.

Increase our endowment in order to support recurring scholarships and additional assistantships.

Initiative 3: Intellectual Influence

A vibrant intellectual environment is essential for any prominent school within a university. One of our key roles is to expand our influence in the local, regional, national and international community. The core intellectual capital of SOLES is nurtured within our academic departments. Our ability to assume a leadership role in education, the nonprofit and public sectors and mental health community is directly related to the quality and influence of our scholarship. This scholarship, in turn, directly affects the school’s intellectual environment.

The current intellectual environment at SOLES is strong. Our research output is increasing and becoming nationally and internationally recognized. Some faculty support and incentives for research accomplishments are institutionalized. Building upon this foundation, more can now be done to strengthen the intellectual environment in SOLES.

1. Increase Faculty and Student Scholarship

Increase the number of professorships, chairs, fellowships, and additional research support.

Increase support to students to attend professional conferences, and be involved in research projects, and professional associations.

Support cross-departmental research seminars in, for example, action research or quantitative analysis that will deepen the impact and generality of our research.

2. Increase Faculty Grants from Private Foundations

Develop strong and purposeful connections to private foundations that fund in SOLES’ program areas.

Initiative 4: Promote Sustainability

In our role as Higher Education professionals, it is our responsibility to advance sustainability and sustainable practices in our business operations and the education of our students. In collaboration with the University-wide sustainability efforts, we, in SOLES, are committed to developing practices and policies to reduce the carbon footprint of SOLES’ students, faculty, staff, and facilities. We support curriculum and pedagogy on the topic of sustainability.